Reviewing modern and classic pulp novels and anthologies. Hard copies only, we do not review digital books or files.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

BLOOD AND STONE

BLOOD AND STONE

(Stone Soldiers # 3)

By C.E. Martin

ISBN # 978148481485

308 pages

No writer in the New Pulp movement writes more intense, all
out battle action sequences than C.E. Martin.His Stone Soldiers series, of which this is the third, is a unique blend
of superhero dramatics blended with Tom Clancy style military encounters.“Blood and Stone” wraps up the first story
arc began with volume one, “Mythical,” as Colonel Mark Kenslir and his super
soldiers of stone from Detachment 1039 confront the ancient monster-god
Tezcahtlip in the heart of the Yucatan
jungles.It is there the ancient
shape-shifter has set up his new empire posing as the Mayan deity Kukulcan.

Throughout this series, beside his hyper-pulp pacing, Martin
has created some truly memorable characters to populate his over-the-top
saga.With “Blood and Stone,” he adds
yet another remarkable player in Dr. Laura Olson, Kenslir’s vampire ally, who
joins his team in leading the hunt for Tezcahtlip because in their first
encounter, the beast ripped out her heart and ate it.Sound outrageous?You bet it is and becomes a pure adrenalin
rush from cover to cover.

Our single nagging critique is that sometimes Martin gets
caught up in his own gory excessiveness and it becomes repetitious.The goal of all good writing is that every
single sentence, paragraph and chapter is vital to the narrative.Towards the middle of this adventure, we were
stopped short by a chapter which, aside from displaying the villain’s inhuman
cruelty, adds nothing new to the plot.Because we were already well aware of the monster’s character, this
entire chapter was pointless.Martin
would do well to enlist an experienced editor to help him recognize these
excesses and help him avoid them in the future.

That being said, “Blood and Stone” is a terrific third
volume in a very original concept and one this reviewer is eager to see
expanded to other storylines.